Alternator Upgrade

[Thomas]

Has anyone upgraded the alternator on their car?

I want to do this to power my ice better.

What sort of cost am i looking at and whats the biggest/best size to go for in terms of current output. I have a 155 HGT model.

Any advice most appreciated!

 

[Tom]

There are things you should do first, a bigger alt won't help if the rest of your electrics are crap,

What ice have you got?

 

[thomas]

Re: Re: Alternator Upgrade

Pioneer MP9400 CD/Tuner
JL audio VR6.5in comps in front
JL 6x9's (for sale)
Phoenix Gold tantrum 400.4 amp
JL Audio 500/1 mono amp
JL audio 15W3 subwoofer

all in all about 700 - 900 watts rms of music power.

would you recommend i go for a deepcycle battery split charged THEN get a bigger alternator?

 

[Dean]

Re: Re: Re: Alternator Upgrade

I'd go for a bigger alt. At the end of the day, if your ice system is using more current than the standard alt can provide, then it wont matter how great the battery is. A better battery is really only a short fix. Bigger installs need more current = uprated alt.
If i'm not mistaken, that JL mono amp is the Slash series, which will give out 500RMS at pretty much whatever load u give it and at whatever voltage the car has. Good for the music, not so good for the battery!
Currently doing my own install and am very interested to find out about an uprated alt. Got a monster amp that needs monster power! (Well, two pretty beefy amps anyway)
Dean

 

[Tom]

Re: Re: Re: Alternator Upgrade

Not very much power there.

I currently have in total 2.4kW Stock alt, no probs. Just got a varta silver battery from a JTD.

I can't find anything for the HGT but the 1.6/1.8 have a 75A alt and the 105JTD has a 100A alt. I'm guessing the HGT has a 100A alt. Not much upgrade path there.

What size power wiring have you got? Are you after a system you can play lots with the engine off?

 

[Dean]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Alternator Upgrade

Is that 2.4kW RMS or peak?!
Think an HGT produces 80amps as standard. Although i thought diesels produced generally more than equivalently sized petrol anyway?

But get this, a saxo produces either 110 or 120 amps as standard! That's a bit obscene for such a piddly car. Unless i've been fed mis-information!

Dean

 

[Tom]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Alternator Upgrade

2.4kW RMS, not some nasty girly little amps.

The JTD diesel has a 100A alt, more than the petrol cars.

The HGT will be between 75A and 100A, nearer the top end due to the electric toys it comes with.

 

[Tom]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Alternator Upgrade

I'm pretty sure the HGT will have a 100A alt. The marea comes with 75A alt without aircon or 100A with aircon.

 

[Dean]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Alternator Upgrade

You would think it'd be closer to the 100 mark, but my hand book only says 80. Which is a bit pants in my opinion. I could defnitely use a bit more juice for my system. It almost seems the the car will stall when ideling when the fan kicks in!
You must have some quite heavy duty stuff powering your speakers then, if it's rms!
Will have about the same when all my stuff is hooked up. Just got an Audiobahn 1800DT d-class monoblock amp. Should power the subs nicely, although is really too big for the boot! (about 17-18inches by 12-13!)
Dean

 

[Dean]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Alternator Upgrade

Maybe it makes a difference that my hgt doesn't come with a/c then?

 

[Tom]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Alternator Upgrade

Old skool phase linear modular setup, about £3500 worth when it was new. They stopped making them a while ago. Regulated PSU so it produces full power no matter what battery voltage.

The power is more for headroom and transient response rather than out and out loudness. The setup is designed to sound as perfect as I can make it. 3 way up front, all active, taking up 6 amp channels!

Only taken me best part of 6 months so far and its not finished yet!

 

[Dean]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Alternator Upgrade

Well quite simply... bloody hell!
Sounds rather impressive!
I have two subs, and a set of components and two amps to power them both! (I like to keep things simple). Simple minds, simple ways or something like that.
6 months is a heck of a long time. Almost as long as i've been driving!

 

[Tom]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Alternator Upgrade

Most likely, the aircon cars do generally have bigger alts.

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Alternator Upgrade

The saxo comes with a 120amps as standard (VTS), and the HGT has a piddly 85amps

Daz

 

[Tom]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Alternator Upgrade

You sure its 85? Even the marea 1.8 with aircon has a 100A alt.

 

[Ozric-Al]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Alternator Upgrade

It's definitely 85 on the HGT.

Laxo probably had to have 100+ cause the free insurance tended to lure the Lexus-light brigade into buying them!

Shabash!

 

[Ozric-Al]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Alternator Upgrade

No. Hold on. If you have Climate Control it's 100A. 85A without.

Mystery solved. Now I'm off to look for a Fairgound owner.

Shabash!

 

[Dean]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Alternator Upgrade

Well i guess that makes sense! A/C sapping some fairly serious power!
But does anyone have idea of cost or where to get one?
Cheers,
Dean

 

[thomas]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Alternator Upgrade

thanks for thoughts guys. My ice install is going to change having bought some cheap gear off EBay i have the following install to do in my new HGT:

pioneer DEH9400MP
Phoenix gold Ti Elite 600/2 amp
Focal Utopia 165W3 3way comps
JL 10W7 sub
JL 500/1 amp
poss get another 10W7 and a JL1000/1

should sound pretty sweet no!?

i have looked in my bravo manual and it is an 85 Amp alternator on HGT so i may try find a 100 amp one. what sort of cost am i looking at??

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Alternator Upgrade

I have A/C and C/C but still only 85amps, saybe some newer/older models varied? (99T HGT)

Daz